MACHETE-wielding migrants have made Calais a war zone with truckers risking their lives every day to bring goods to Britain.

French police tackle migrants hidden in a lorry and, inset, truckers John Mordue and Michael Almela,

Armed gangs target lorries carrying UK-bound supplies as the refugee crisis in the French port town spirals out of control.

Frightened drivers describe being threatened at knife-point, beaten with baseball bats and having their trailers slashed as asylum-seekers try to stowaway across the Channel.

Freight firm boss Kevin Hopper said: "It's just a matter of time now before someone is killed."

The threat to truckers bringing goods into Britain is now so grave that some companies are avoiding the Calais docks altogether, adding costly miles to journeys.

Worried drivers spoke of their terrifying experiences.

Tim Clarke

Migrants in Calais as truckers try to import food and goods into the UK

Tim Clarke

Shaun Young, 43, is aware of migrants prepared to do anything to get into Britain

John Mordue, 50, said: "My mate was threatened by a migrant with a knife and his exact words were, 'I'll kill you, I don't care'.

"That is what you are up against every day. It's got very bad and very dangerous. They all carry knives, every one of them. I had eight in the back of my trailer one night.

"It's a nightmare, especially when we are all stacked up on the motorway. That's when they seize the chance to break into the trailers."

Michael Almela, 46, said: "When we approach Calais at low speed they all try to break into our lorries. When we slow down or are at a standstill they're ready to pounce, by opening doors or hanging on to axles underneath. It's dangerous.

"It's extremely frightening when 100 people are surrounding your truck, trying to get in. I have everything to lose - they don't."

Steve Bowkett, 50, added: "They'll try to break into trailers, opening back doors, slashing the side curtain or climbing on the roof. The damage they cause is horrendous. Two of them threatened me when I found them in the back of my trailer hiding among the pallets. The job is becoming a nightmare."

My mate was threatened by a migrant with a knife and his exact words were, 'I'll kill you, I don't care'.

"The migrants are armed and dangerous and they get more desperate by the day. The town and surrounding countryside is rife with gangs.

"I have been in this business for 30 years and this is the worst I have known it. We are getting no help at all. The police just look the other way.

"A couple of weeks ago the problem was so bad that even my bravest drivers, some of whom are ex-Marines, were asking if they could re-route to avoid Calais.

Tim Clarke

The Port of Calais

Tim Clarke

Michael Almela is a trucker facing the threat in Calais every day

"On a good day you see 200 migrants on the approach roads but on a bad day there will be 1,500. They all want to get to the UK, it's the land of milk and honey."

The lawlessness is also having a devastating impact on the delivery of fresh food and goods, threatening to force up UK food prices.

An industry expert described the situation as "simply unsustainable".

Millions of pounds of cargo is written off because retailers will not touch it once stowaways have been aboard.

In any case, the task of removing them, repairing the damage and reporting the incident can take up to six hours. Drivers then miss the ferry and supermarket delivery slots.

Trucker Shaun Young, 43, explained: "They don't shower and they lie all over the fresh produce - and that's it contaminated.

Tim Clarke

Migrants in Calais trying to get into Britain

"You get to a supermarket and they say, 'Forget it' - that's tens of thousands of pounds wasted."

He added: "They will be in your back doors or jumping on top of the trailer as quick as a flash.

"They pull out knives, baseball bats and even shoot each other.

"Every haulier dreads it. We run a gauntlet daily. It's very intimidating and I'm thinking of giving the job up."

Don Armour, of the Freight Transport Association, said: "As more lorries are targeted, more goods are written off and the supply chain is jeopardised."

Nigel Jenney, of the Fresh Produce Consortium, said: "The situation has spiralled out of control over the last six months and is simply unsustainable. Urgent action must be taken by the UK government."

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Tue, October 25, 2016

Hundreds of migrants are continuing to arrive in Europe as they flee the scenes of chaos and brutality of the Islamic State in the Middle East.

Around 9,000 lorries a day - three-quarters of all road freight in and out of Britain - pass through Calais, carrying goods worth £89million annually.

Calais is the quickest route. But hauliers often prefer to use other ports, like Zeebrugge and Rotterdam.

There are around 3,500 refugees from war-torn countries like Somalia, Syria, Eritrea and Afghanistan in Calais. They camp in a filthy squat dubbed Jungle II and more than 100 a day try to get across the Channel.

The Home Office said: "Law and order in Calais is the responsibility of the French but the UK continues to liaise closely with them."